New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-07-03
LIFE UNHAPPY IN AN AMBULANCE
BELLEVUE MEN PAID IN EXPERIENCE.


LAYS USUALLY OCCUR.
Tn the carly records of Bellevue Hospital the chtry
is found frequently: drought In on stfe'cnor'
This and the occasional mpressmcnt OF iarm ""son
were the only modes Of conveying paueh'' !" ,'0
hospital This was all we'll enough wheh 'no ciY
clustered around the Battery, but when IL grow " '
and the number of sick people Increased behc'"o ~
ceived ambulance from the city au'nor''ics LIE
was received with rejoicing by the stan OF physlch'
and was the foundation of the present ambulance
system in this city, which is still far from perfect
Only ten of the hospitals have ampuiah"s'
DeIleyue has five, New-Y0rk two, ChamDcr ouoo'
two Presbyterian one, Roosevelt two' "o'eIhou,
two Harlem two Manhattan ono, Ninety-nmth a.rcc.
three and ST. vncent's two. The hospitals WITHOUT
ambulances have to depend on private cohVeyahces
or the ambulances from other hospitals 10 carry 'ho
natlents Tho city is divided into ambulance
districts the boundaries being the same rs thosc VI
tho police precincts, and each OF the hospitais Is
supposed to take OF the calls that come IN 'S
Jurisdiction Bellevue the Thirteenth four-
t.entb Seventeenth, Eighteenth, Twcntyhrs,'
twenty third and Twenty fifth Precincts Chambers
street the First Second Third, Fourth, Fhh' sx'h'
Twenty fourth and Twenty eighth Precincts New
York the sixteenth and Nineteenth Precincts' Ninety
ninth Street the Twcnty-sixth and Inirty-nrs' rro
clncts: Roosevelt the Twentieth and twenty -secohu
Precincts Gouverneur the Seventh, Ecvch'h an"
Twelfth Precincts st. vincents tho Eighth Nlhth'
Tenth and Fifteenth Precincts Harlem the twenty
NINTH Thrty-th and Thirty fourth precincts MAN
haitian the Thirtieh, Thirty second anu lhir,y h',
| Precincts and Presbyterian the Twenty-h'th ana
| Twenty-seventh Precincts
bellevue Hospital has two ambulance surgeons,
all the others have one and when they are engaged
some OF the house staff go out on CALL ihcso
surgeons must be graduates OF reputable meucai
college, and arc appointed by the board OF managers
of each hospital after an examination winch y
usuauv comnctitfye They lump into practice,
overstock of aid gain practical hno"ledso
frequently at tho expense of the patients health
or comfort. The term Of service Is limited 10 SIX
months without compensation. Until January las,
the ambulance surgeons at Bellevue received Soo
month and board. Now that 1t II free service the
standing Of the surgeons Is far from high. NO ono
wants the position, at Bellevue the ambulance
surgeon is not member of the house star, ana In
stead Of being advanced at the end OF six months
to Junior house physician as Is done In all the oher
hospitals, he is discharged There Is thus no IN
ccntive for making good record, and Bellevue mas
to take the best 1t get which, too often Is poor
Indeed and accounts for many of the mistakes that
are made by lis surgeons.
1t is not generally known that an ambulance can DO
summoned by any ono over the general tecphohe'
and IL is seldom they called In this way. 1bo
calls are usually sent by policemen or fremen. III
an accident occurs the first thing Is TO find police
man. and this DO usually done In less than an
hour When found he investigates tho case and re
ports II at the police station The sergeant on duty
rings out on the telegraph machine ".4.A' winch
tells the Police Headquarters TO "send an ambulance
forthwith" The hospital nearest the call is told to
attend to 1t over the telephone Through wihulness
or laziness hospitals frequently refuse TO send am
balances when directed. Word is then sent 20 Belle
vle which being che city hospital proper Il supposo
TO be always ready TO cover the entire city Inc
foreman Of every fire company has key to tho
inner apartment of the fire alarm boxes, In which
Il rl.f,b ha
operator at the Fire Department Headquarters that
an ambulance Is needed. The operator then rings
twenty taps the fire alarm bell, which sounds In
overy hospital In the city, together WIN
| the number Of tho fro box, ana The
| hospital nearest tho box Is supposed 10 cover
| it, Twenty three taps on the fire bell calls three
ambulances and twenty-five taps, which was last
used when Budd.s siccks buildings fell brings all
tho ambulances IN the city.
This city is away behind the age in the methods
| of summoning ambu!anccs Nearly All the largo
| cities In the country have a better system. II
policeman cannot DO found citizen viii have TO 60
TO q police station or fire company house TO have
| call sent out, and there are few people who know
| whore these places A policeman cannot send
out the alarm, but he must report TO the station
| This long delay and there is no help for II under
the present arrangement. has no doubt sacrificed tho
| lives OF many people who might have been saved
| by prompt medical attendance The Police Conmis-
sIoners have arrangement with the elevated roads
when n ambulance Is needed near a station whereby
word telegraphel TO the stations nearest to Police
Headq quarters and telephoRod from there to Head
quarters This has slightly improved the service.
The Commits soncrs have several plans under consider
alton quicken the service but at the present rate
of progess humanity will suffer long before any Of
them are adopted
, Several of The hospitals have harness and stalls
similar TO the Fire Department. and the hitching Is
done In q few seconds but Bellevue the most i'm
| rortant Of all, has improvements whatever. Tho
ambdiances fitted up for every emergency. They
have an adj Unstable stretcher with plenty Of rubber
shooting and blankets Slowed under the drivers
seat and in other places are stomach pump for
poison, a tourniquet 10 check hemorrhagc, oasrim
and lint for wounds, splints Of all sizes bandages
ether, Majende's solution iron, carron oil for burns,
and Ghsr s%a l 4 naG sar 6ss
right OF way In the streets lhe horses are speedy
sorses There would be fewer complaints against 6is
| place for delay II these were shot
whatever 'ne be for the temporary ei Of tho
patient and then hurry to the hospital unless ~
no sn to
pitaI that he prcfers, matter where the ambulance
viii rfq make s' surgeon arow the good one
for the practice Of surgery or medicine II con
fsser, diphtheria and few others, is found. ehe
patient Is not removed, but the surgeon informs the
the arrival Of an ambulance the body is not touche
The he srss o s's
scnd for an ambulance when 1t Is not necessary.
This makes surgeons and policemen say hard things
| about one another. .
There Is not much pleasure In the life Of an am
| buance surgeon. In winter summer he is called
out at all hours Of the day and night, and has to
60 into all sorts OF dcns and dives where ho hnds
about as many imp ieasant sights and senches as tho
ordinary man can stand. There is 70 10y In a hand.
house, whore tho surgeon often has his clothes badly
! torn. II he y q little rough the patients friends
threaten bis life. He must catch his sleep and food
when no can, and IL always duty. His blessings
are usually tempered with curses and all glad
| when their term OF service Is over.
i IRIS lDVIOE
| Fkoua ma Rosfon Hud0